Gasoline pump sales record printer



April`28, 1970 .1.J. FITZGERALD 355085681 GASOLINE PUMP SALES' RECORD PRINTER Filed Sept. 6, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet l Inf/enfer JHZe/a/d for/7e;

April 28, 1970 .1.J. FITZGERALD GASOLINE PUMP SALES RECORD PRINTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 6. 1968 Int/enfer tzffzgera/d April 28, 1970 J. J. FITZGERALD 3,508,681

GSOLINE PUMP SALES RECORD PRINTER Filed Sept. 6, 1968 Z5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent C) 3,508,681 GASOLINE PUMP SALES RECORD PRINTER John J. Fitzgerald, 2120 Roselin Place, Los Angeles, Calif. 90039 Continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 667,123, Sept. 12, 1967. This application Sept. 6, 1968, Ser.

Int. Cl. B67d 5/24 U.S. Cl. 222-30 12 'Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Ameans between each related wheel and drum to rotate and set the wheel in a predetermined rotative position relative to the drum and including setting means comprising a rotatable cam with circumferentially and radial spaced, stop lands corresponding in number with the numbers and fonts of the drum and wheel and driven by the drum, a pinion gear related to the wheel, a manually shiftable carriage, an elongate rack shiftably carried by said carriage and engaging the pinion gear and an elongate, flexible, axially shiftable drive cable with one end iixed to an end of the rack and its other end shiftable into and out of engagement with the cam upon shifting of the carriage, a form support to position a form relative to the wheel, and a platen shiftable into and out of engagement with the form and driven by the carriage.

This is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 667,123, led September l2, 1967, now Patent No. 3,426,943.

Throughout the nation there are a great number of gasoline station-s, most of which have a plurality of gasoline pumps. Such pumps have become substantially standardized and each is provided with a computor which, by means of a plurality of visible calibrated drums, indicates the price per gallon of the gasoline handled by the pump and indicates the volume and the cost of each sale of gasoline dispensed by the pump.

Upon each cash sale of gasoline from a particular pump, an lattendant reads the cost of the sale and requests payment. The purchaser is frequently provided with a sales receipt for a record of the purchase. Accordingly, the station must be equipped with a convenient and readily accessible cash register with a record tape. If no such register is provided, the attendant must write out a sales receipt. Such receipts are usually written on those two-piece sales forms provided for credit card sales.

It will be apparent that the manner and procedure of making cash sales of gasoline, ias above noted, leaves much to be desired.

In the case of credit-card sales, which far exceed cash sales in many areas of the country, the same procedure is followed, except the purchaser gives a credit card to the attendant and the information on that card is irnprinted on the sales-slip form by means of a credit-card press. In such sales, the customers copy of the manuallyiilled-out sales form serves as a receipt and a record for the customer.

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Transacting business in the above manner has proven to be unsatisfactory, as all too frequently attendants err in iilling out the sales forms, either accidentally or intentionally. It is not unusual that an attendant will maintain his own gas supply 'by shortchanging customers. This is easily done as customers frequently cannot see and/or will not take the time and effort to see and read the cornputor on the gas pump.

Further, the handwriting of the average service station attendant, when lling out sales forms of the character referred to, is so frequently illegible that the average purchaser of gasoline has tired of questioning the accuracy of such forms when presented, `and simply accepts them without question.

The above obviously further simplifies the art of shortchanging customers.

An object of my invention is to provide a sales-record printing mechanism for gasoline pumps which is operatively related to the computor means of a standard or conventional pump construction and which is such that it clearly and accurately prints all desired and pertinent in formation of each sale of product from a gas pump on a common sales slip or form.

Another object of my invention is to provide a mechanism of the character referred to which is operatively related to the visible calibrated drums of the computor of a gasoline pump and which faithfully prints the statistical information or data registered by the computor on Va common sales slip form.

It is an object of my invention to provide a printing device of the character referred to having a multiplicity of polygonal printing wheels and drive means between each printing wheel and a related calibrated drum of a gasoline pump computor, whereby vthe printing wheels are rotated to the same rotative positions as their related computor drums, when the construction is operated.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a printer of the character referred to which can be advantageously housed in a small, compact housing or case and advantageously fixed and related to the exterior of an existing gas-pump construction in a position convenient for use.

Still further, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel drive means between related computor drums and printing wheels, which includes gear parts or portions applied to or established on conventional computor drums, a driven gear engaged with each gear part or portion and rotatably carried by the computor construction, cam means driven by said driven gears and flexible, elongate axially shiftable drive cables operatively related to the printing wheels and shiftable into and out of stopped engagement with the cam means.

The above and other objects and features of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of a typical preferred form and application of my invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is an isometric View of a gas pump with my invention related thereto;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a portion of a conventional gas-sales slip or form with sales information imprinted thereon;

FIG. 3 is a view taken as indicated by line 3 3 on FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a view taken as indicated by line 4 4 on FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken as indicated by line 5 5 on FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a View taken as indicated by line 6 6 on FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a view taken as indicated by line 7 7 on FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a view taken substantially as indicated by line 8-8 on FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a view taken as indicated by line 9 9 on FIG. 8; and,

FIG. 10 is a view taken as indicated by line 10-10 on FIG. 9.

The ordinary or conventional gasoline pump construction, as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings, is characterized by an elongate, vertical, rectangular box-like housing 10 with a flat top 11, flat, vertical sides 12, and flat, vertical front and rear surfaces 13. A dispensing hose 14 with a nozzle 15 at its terminal end extends from one side of the housing and normally is engaged on and supported by a manually operable control handle or lever 16. The lever 16 normally occurs in a rotative position where the pump construction is shut off or put out of operation and where said lever presents a hook-like projection to engage and support the dispensing nozzle. When it is desired to put the pump into operation, the nozzle must be manually disengaged from the handle or lever 16 and the lever must be manually turned so as to put the pump into operation. When the operating or control lever 16 is thus turned, the noule engaging hook presented thereby is disposed so that said nozzle cannot be engaged and supported thereon. Such a Irelationship of parts prevents the pump from being inadvertently left in operation.

The ordinary pump construction, such as is illustrated, includes a metering mechanism commonly referred to as the computor C. The computor C includes a plurality of calibrated wheels or drums 20` suitably grouped together and arranged in series to indicate the gallonage pumped during each sale, as indicated at 21, and the cost of each sale, as indicated at 22. The computor is driven by a flowmetering type of motor in a delivery pipe in the construction (not shown).

In addition to the above, the computor is provided with a group of secondary calibrated drums 23 which indicate the price of each gallon of gasoline and which are mechanically related to the drums 20 so that the cost indicated at 22 corresponds with the gallonage indicated at 21 following each sale.

The computor C is provided with a cancelling means, not shown, which means is suitably connected with the control handle or lever 16 and in such a manner that each time the handle is shifted from its normal position to its operating position and preparatory to the making of each new sale or delivery of gasoline, the drums 20 of the computor are returned to zero, and the previous sale indicated thereby is cancelled.

The computor C is arranged adjacent to the front Wall 13 of the pump housing and in an opening 24 therein so that the information provided thereby can be easily and conveniently read.

In practice, the exact or particular means for driving the drums 20, the arrangement or dispositioning of the drums and the means relating the computor to the other means of the pump construction can vary widely without affecting novelty of the present invention. Accordingly, I will not burden this disclosure with further unnecessary detailed description of the pump and/or computor mechanism thereof.

The printer mechanism A that I provide is adapted to effectively and faithfully print the information provided by the computor C of a conventional gasoline pump on a conventional gasoline sales slip form F.

The ordinary sales slip or form F, as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings, is a simple, small, rectangular paper laminate and includes a back sheet 25 of card stock, an intermediate carbon sheet 26, and a f ront tissue sheet 27. Space is provided on the form for recording of the product sold, the price of the product, the volume of said product sold and the cost of the sale. Space is also provided for other information, such as advertising and the like.

The carbon sheet 26 is disposable. The back sheet 25 is retained by the seller, and the tissue sheet is given to the purchaser for his records.

Forms of the character referred to above have become standardized in size and in general layout or character as they are designed for compatible use in `and with credit cards and credit-card presses, which cards and presses have become standardized.

The printer A is a unitary device enclosed in and carried by a suitable case H and includes, generally, a carriage B arranged within and shiftably supported by the case H, a printing head P within the case, a form receiver D Within the case and adapted to support a form F, setting means S operatively related to the computor, carriage and the printing head to set the printing head P and striker means E carried by the case and operatively related to the carriage and the receiver D and adapted to strike the form F and urge it into printing engagement with the head P.

In addition to the foregoing, the printer A may be provided with lock means opertively connected with the control lever 16 of the pump or some other part so that the printer cannot be operated until the pump has been put out of service 'and delivery of gasoline for a sale has been completed. Since such a means is not necessary for the satisfactory operation of the invention. I will not burden this disclosure with detailed description of such means.

The case H is a simple, rectangular box-like structure of molded high-impact plastic or the like and has ilat, horizontal top and bottom walls 30 and 31, vertical side walls 32 and vertical front and rear walls 33 and 34. The side walls l32 are provided with elongate, slot-like guide openings 35 and one of said side walls is provided With an elongate slot 36 to accommodate the receiver D.

The carriage B is an elongate, flat, horizontal pan-like structure formed of sheet metal and has a flat bottom wall 37, vertical side walls 38, and vertical front and rear walls 39 and 40.

The upper edges of the side walls 38 have laterally outwardly projecting support flanges 41, which flanges are slidably engaged in the guide openings 35 in the side walls 32 of the case H.

The guide openings 35 in the case are of limited vertical extent so as to slidably receive the carriage flanges 41, are of predetermined longitudinal extent, to limit fore and aft shifting of the carriage, and in the preferred carrying out of the invention are provided with laterally inwardly projecting flanges 42 about their perimeters, which flanges establish increased bearing surface for the flanges 41 and which also engage the outer surfaces of the side walls 38 of the carriage to guide the carriage and limit lateral movement or displacement of the carriage.

With the above relationship of parts, it will be apparent that the carriage is slidably engaged in the case by means of the llanges 41 and openings 35 and is guided for limited longitudinal shifting therein by said flanges and guide openings.

In addition to the foregoing, the carriage is provided with spaced, upwardly projecting arms 42. The arms 42 occur outside of the case and project upwardly from the flanges 41 to terminate at a point spaced above the top Wall 30.

Fixed and extending between the upper ends of the arms 42 is an elongate, manually engageable operating bar 43, which bar occurs in spaced relationship above the top wall 30 of the case and is engageable by an operators hand and facilitates shifting the carriage B, fore and aft, in the case for the purpose of operating the construction and as will hereinafter 'be described.

The printing head P includes an elongate, transversely extending shaft 50 with opposite ends engaged in suitable shaft supports 51 fixed to the side walls 32. The shaft 50 occurs in spaced relationship above the slot 36 and form receiver D, and forward of the carriage B. The shaft 50 rotatably supports and carries a plurality of axially spaced, polygonal printing wheels 52, each with an axially aligned pinion gear 53 fixed to or formed integrally of one side thereof.

The polygonal printing wheels 52 are arranged on the shaft 50 in predetermined spaced relationship and each has ten facets, each with a type face formed thereon.

The lowermost portion of the wheels 52 or the lowermost facets thereof occur in a common horizontal plane and so that the type faces thereon occur a predetermined distance above the form receiver D, as will hereinafter be described.

In carrying out the invention, ink rollers 110 can be carried by the frame to occur adjacent the wheels 52 an in ink transferring contact with the wheels.

The form receiver D is a substantially iiat, rectangular part formed or'molded of high-impact plastic or the like and has flat, horizontal top and bottom surfaces 60` and 61, parallel, transversely extending front and rear edges 62, an inner end 63 and an outer end 64.

The inner end of the receiver D is provided with a mounting flange 65 and is secured to the inner surface of the side wall 32, opposite the slot 36, by means of fasteners 66. The outer end of the receiver D extends through the slot 36 and is provided with a bezel-like flange 67 which engages the outer surface of the side wall 32 of the case, in which the slot 36 occurs, about the perimeter of said slot.

The top surface 60 of the platen is provided with a rectangular recess 68 to cooperatively receive and carry a sales-slip form F. The recess 68 has an inner end in predetermined spaced relationship from the inner end of the receiver and adapted to limit inward movement of a form F. The other or outer end of the recess continues to the outermost end of the receiver through the flange 67 to establish a form-receiving slot 69 therein and so that it opens and is accessible at the side of the case.

The receiver D occurs forward of the front wall 39 of the carriage B and in spaced relationship below the plane in which the lowenmost facets of the printing wheels occur a sufficient distancevto freely accommodate a form F and is provided with an elongate opening 70 extending longitudinally below the series of wheels and extending vertically from the bottom 61 of the receiver to the bottom surface of the recess 68. The opening 80 is adapted to receive a portion of the means E as will hereinafter be described.

The setting means S that I provide serves to set the wheels 52 of the printing head in desired rotative position and in like rotative position with the calibrated drums 20 of the means C of the gasoline pump and includes cam means M, related to the computor means C, drive means N related to the carriage B and the pinions 53 on the wheels 52, coupling means O between the cam means M and the drive means and means R resiliently coupling the carriage B and the drive means N.

The cam means M is in the nature of an attachment related to the computor C of the gasoline pump and includes a section or unit related to each drum of the computor. Each of said units includes a drive gear 81 related toI and carried by its related drum, a shaft 82 rotatably carried by the computor, a driven gear 83 carried by the shaft and engaging the drive gear 81 and a cam plate 84 carried by the shaft.

The drive gears 81 can be formed integrally with the drums 20 or can be special ring or plate-like gears applied to the drums, as circumstances require.

The shafts 82 are rotatably carried by bearings and the like lixed to suitable frame parts of the computor mechanism and extend parallel with the axes of the drums and have outer ends projecting outwardly from the computor mechanism and frame structure thereof.

The driven gears 83 are simple pinion type gears xed to their related shafts 82 land establish driving engagement with their related drive gears 81.

The cam plates 84 are flat, substantially disc-shaped 6 plates fixed to the outer ends of their related shafts in predetermined rotative position relative to their related drums.

In practice, in the preferred carrying out of the invention, and as illustrated, the units of the cam means M related to each axially aligned group or series of drums are on a common axis and the shafts are concentric, there being a solid, central shaft and a plurality of tubular shafts rotatably engaged about the central shaft and each other. The central shaft is the longest of the several shafts and supports its related driven gear and cam plate -at its opposite ends. The outer tubular shafts Ibecome progressively shorter and support their related driven gears and cam plates at their terminal ends and in such a manner that the driven gears and cam plates are spaced axially as desired and as circumstances require.

The outermost shaft of each related group of shafts is rotatably carried by a suitable bearing means 85 carried by the frame structure of the computor.

In the case illustrated, the computor C has two sets of drums 20, each with three drums. Accordingly, the units of the cam means are divided into two groups of three such units and the three units of each group are related to each other and related in concentric relationship with each other and related to the computor in the manner set forth above.

With the above relationship of parts, it will be apparent that the means M is simple, neat and compact, and is such that it can be advantageously related to a computor with a minimum of effort and with little or no alteration or modification of the computor.

The gear ratio of the means M is such that the cam plates are rotated synchronously with their related drums.

In practice, the imeans M can vary widely in practice without departing from the spirit of this invention and the means M illustrated and described above sets forth but one form of drive means.

In practice, and recognizing the fact that a special computor construction could and might be designed and produced for use in combination or connection with my printing mechanism, the means M, in its Ibroadest sense can be considered to consist of a cam plate related to each drum of the computor and means'to drive the plate synchronously with said drum.

The cam plates have l0 circumferentially and radially spaced segmental stop surfaces or lands, each related to a predetermined digital segment of its related drum.

The drive means N of the setting means S includes an elongate operating bar 86 for each print wheel 52 of the printing head P and having a forward rack portion 87 engaging the gear 53 related to its related wheel 52 and an elongate rear portion 88 shiftably carried by the carriage B.

Each of the several bars 86 extends fore and aft in the case H with its rear portion 88 slidably engaged in and guided by a pair of related axially aligned bearing openings 89-90 in the front and rear walls 39 and 40 of the carriage B.

The forward rack portion 87 of each bar 86 projects forwardly from the carriage B, across the top of its related gear 53 and terminates in the case forward of the printing head P.

The coupling means O between the cam means M and the drive means N includes an elongate, flexible, axially shiftable drive cable 91 related to each related cam plate 84 and bar 86. The cables 91 are slidably engaged in suitable flexible guide tubes or sheaths 92, having forward and rear ends. The rear ends of the sheaths 92 are anchored and lixed in the forward portion of the case H, in axial alignment with their related bars and opening rearwardly and the forward ends of the sheaths are anchored and xed to the side of the computor C at which the cam plates occur and so that each occurs in a common radial plane with, opens radially towards and is spaced radially from its related cam plate.

The sheathed cables 91 extend from within the Case H, downwardly through registering opening 93 and 93 in the bottom 31 of the case and top 11 of the pump hous- .ing and into the interior of said housing. The rear ends of the cable sheaths are anchored and fixed in the case by a suitable mounting means 94 and their forward ends are fixed to the frame structure of the computer `C by a suitable mounting means 95, substantially as indicated.

The rear ends of the cables 91 project rearwardly from their sheaths and are mounting means 94 and are suitably fixed to the forward ends of their related bars 86 The forward ends of the cables 91 are provided with straight, rigid cam-engaging stop rods 96 which are slidably engaged in and project from their sheaths, toward their related cam plates. The ends of the rods 96 normally occur in radial spaced relationship from their cam plates and are shiftable into and out of engagement with the segmental lands of said plates.

The means R resiliently coupling the carriage B and the drive means N includes a stop 97 fixed to the forward end of the rear portion 88 of each rod 86 and normally stopped against the rear surface of the front wheel 39 of the carriage B and a compression spring 98 between each stop 97 and the rear wall 40 of the carriage B and normally yieldingly urging the rods and their related or connected cables forwardly relative to the carriage B.

With the above relationship of parts, it will be apparent that the rods and cables are normally shiftable with the carriage B and that when the carriage is shifted from its normal, rear position in the case H, forwardly and to its forward position, in the case, the rods 86 and cables are shifted forwardly therewith, rotating the print wheels and shifting the stop rods 96 into stopped engagement with their related cam plates.

It will be further apparent that the means R acts as a resilient lost motion means and is such that it permits or allows for forward movement of the carriage relative to each of the rods 86, when forward movement of the rods 86 is stopped by engagement of their related stop rods 96 on the cam plates 84.

The means S is such that when a stop rod 96 is shifted into stop engagement with a land of its related cam plate 84, its related drive rod 86 shifts and drives and rotates its related print wheel 52 a predetermined extent and so that said print wheel is in the same or corresponding rotative position as its related drum of the computor C.

With the structure thus far described, it will be apparent that each time the carriage is moved from its normal rear position to its forward position, by manually engaging the handle 43 and drawing it forwardly, the print wheels of the printing head P are rotated and set in a position and relationship corresponding to the rotative positioning and relationship of the several drums of the computer and that the print wheels are disposed to imprint the same numbers that appear on the drums, on a form F arranged in the receiver D.

The striker means E provided to strike the form F and urge it into printing engagement with the printing head P includes an elongate plate-like cam 100 `with a rear end pivotally mounted in the rear end of the case below the carriage B and a forward end extending below the carrier D, a striker block 101 on the forward portion of the arm and projecting freely, upwardly into the opening 70 in the carrier and adapted to be moved upwardly into striking engagement with a form F arranged in the recess of the carrier and to thereby urge the form into imprinting engagement with the wheels of the printing head, spring means 102 for driving the arm and block and cam means 103 for loading and releasing the spring means.

The spring means 102 includes one or more compression springs 104 arranged between the forward end of the arm 100 and the bottom 31 of the case. The spring or springsy 104 when unbiased support the arm and the block 101 up and in a position where the top of the block is spaced a slight and sufficient distance below the bottom of the recess 65 in the carrier so as notto interfere with engagement and/or disengagement of forms F in the recess of the carrier.

In practice, if desired, and as illustrated, small, light, compression-type buffer spring 105 can be provided between the forward portion of the arm 100 and the bottom of the carrier to pre-stress the spring or springs 104 a desired extent and to dampen the operation of the means E after the cam means has been released and the block has struck the form F.

The cam means 103 for loading and releasing the spring means of the means E includes a cam block 106 with a forwardly and upwardly inclined cam surface and a vertical front end fixed to the top of the arm to normally occur below the forward portion of the carriage and a cam follower 107 carried by the. carriage, to normally occur rearward of the cam block and such that as the carriage is shifted forwardly, the cam follower engages the inclined surface of the cam block, urging the forward end of the arm downwardly against the resistance of the spring or springs 104, and loading said spring or springs. After the spring or spring 104 are fully loaded and upon furiher o-r continued forward movement of the carriage B, the cam follower moves across or past the block and allows the spring to urge the arm and the printing block 101 upwardly into striking and/or printing engagement with the form F. The mass inertia or momentum of the upwardly moving arm and printing block carries the said arm and block upwardly and above the position in which said arm and block are normally maintained by the spring means and to effect the printing function.

The fore and aft positioning of the cam block and follower and the longitudinal extent of the cam block is such that the cam follower does not move by or past the cam block until the setting means S is set, that is, until the carriage B has moved forwardly a sufiicient distance to move all of the stop rods 96 into stopped engagement with their related cam plates 84.

In addition to the foregoing and so that the cam follower does not stop on the front of the cam block, and prevent rearward shifting of the carriage B, the cam follower 107 is pivotally carried by the carriage on an axis normal to the direction of travel and has a stop shoulder 108, spaced fro-m its pivotal axis, which surface opposes and stops against a stop surface 109 on the carriage B when the cam follower is in a normal vertical position. The stop shoulder an-d stop surface stop rearward and upward pivotally of the cam follower as it is moved forwardly over the cam block, but allows forward and upward pivoting of the follower when the follower is moved rearwardly past the block, upon rearward movement of the carriage.

With the construction provided, it will be apparent that when it is desired to make out a sales slip or form F, the operator simply slides a form F into the construction through the slot opening 69 in the side of the case, pulls the handle at the top of the case forwardly, pushes it rearwardly again, and pulls or removes the form from within the case (a tab end of the form being accessible at the slot opening when the. form is fully engaged in the construction).

It is to be noted that when the construction is in its actuated position, the cam-engaging stop ends 96 are so related to the cam plates 84 that operation of thc computor C is prevented or stopped. Accordingly, it is imperative that the structure here provided be returned to its normal, unactuated position before it is attemped to operate the pump, for a next or subsequent sale. To this end, and as illustrated in the drawings, I provide return springs between the housing H and carriage B. The springs 125 are simple, normally unbiased tension springs extending below the carriage and connect with and between the forward end of the carriage and the rear wall 34 of the housing H.

With the springs 125, the carriage B is normally yieldingly held in its normal, unactuated lposition and, when actuated, is normally yieldingly urged, automatically, back to its normal position.

In additional to the print wheels 52, secondary print wheels 52 can be provided to print fixed information, such as the brand of gasoline pumped, the number of the pump and such other information, as desired or as required. The wheels 52' have gears 53 related thereto and are carried by the shaft 50. Suitable stop pawls 106 are provided to hold and maintain the wheels 52 in desired set rotative position. The pawls 106 are simple, elongate springs having free ends 107 engaged between the teeth of the gears 53' and fixed ends 108 mounted in fixed position in the case, as indicate-d at 109.

As indicated at 110, a suitable ink roller can be provided to ink the print wheels of the printing head P.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the structure provided -by this invention is extremely simple, involving but few parts, each of which is easy and economical to manufacture and which are easy to assemble. It will be further apparent that the structure provided is rugged and durable in nature and is highly effective and dependable in operation.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but Wish to reserve to myself any modifications and/or v'ari'- ations that may appear to those skilled in the art.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination, a gasoline dispensing pump having a computor with a plurality of rotary drums, each with a predetermined number of circumferentially spaced visually readable characters and adapted to indicate the volume and the cost of each sale of gasoline dispensed by the pump, and a printing mechanism operatively related to the computor to print the volume and cost of each sale indicated by the drums on a sales slip form, said mechanism including a printing head with a plurality of rotatable printing wheels, each wheel related to one of the drums and having a number of circumferentially spaced character fonts equal to and in corresponding circumferential sequence with the characters on the drum, setting means between each related wheel and drum to set the wheel in the same relative rotative position as the drum and including a rotatable cam plate with circumferentially and radial spaced, radially outwardly disposed stop lands corresponding in number with the number of characters on the related drum, means rotating said cam plate synchronously with said drum, a gear connected with the wheel, a carriage supported in spaced relationship from said printing head and shiftable from a normal to an actuated position, an elongate, axially shiftable rod with a rack engaging the gear and shiftably carried by the carriage, an elongate, flexible, axially shiftable drive cable with one end fixed to one end of the rod and its other end in a common radial plane with the cam and normally spaced from and disposed radially toward said cam, said carriage shiftable from its normal to its actuated position to move said rod relative to said wheel to effect rotation of said wheel and to shift said other end of the cable into stopped engagement with a land on said cam plate, lost motion spring means between the carriage and the rod to permit over-travel of said carriage relative to the rod and to its actuated position after said cable is stopped by the cam plate, a form supporting receiver adjacent the printing head to receive and support a form in predetermined relationship with said head, striker means related to the carriage and receiver to urge the form into imprinting engagement with the head upon shifting of the carriage to its fully actuated position and manually engageable means related to the carriage to shift said carriage to and from its normal and actuated positions.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means rotating said cam plate synchronously with said drum includes a shaft rotatably carried by the computor 10 and carrying said cam plate, and a gear drive between said shaft and the drum.

3. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means rotating said cam plate synchronously with said drum includes a shaft rotatably carried by the computor and carrying said cam plate, and a gear drive between said shaft and the drum, said gear drive including a drive gear on the drum and a driven gear on the shaft.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said flexible cable is shiftably engaged in a flexible sheath, said sheath having one end secured in fixed position in axial alignment with and spaced from said one end of the rod and its other end secured in fixed position in radial spaced relationship from and opposing the lands of the cam plate.

5. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said flexible cable is shiftably engaged in a flexible sheath, said sheath having one end secured in fixed position in axial alignment with and spaced from said one end of the rod and its other end secured in fixed position in radial spaced relationship from andopposing the lands of the cam plate, and an elongate, rigid cam follower between said other end of the cable and the cam plate and slidably engaged in and guided bysaid other end of the sheath. l

6. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means rotating said cam plate synchronously with said drum includes a shaft rotatably carried by the computer and carrying said cam plate, and a gear drive between said shaft and the drum, said fiexible cable being shiftably engaged in a flexible sheath, said sheath having one end secured in fixed position in axial alignment with and spaced from said one end of the rod and its other end secured in fixed position in radial spaced relationship from and opposing the lands of the cam plate.

7. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means rotating said cam plate synchronously with said drum includes a shaft rotatably carried by the computor and carrying said cam plate, and a gear drive between said shaft and the drum, said gear drive including a drive gear on the drum and a driven gear on the shaft, said fiexible cable being shiftably engaged in a flexible sheath, said sheath having one end secured in fixed position in axial alignment with and spaced from said one end of the rod and its other end secured .in fixed position in radial spaced relationship from and opposing the lands of the cam plate, and an elongate, rigid cam follower -between said other end of the cable and the cam plate and slidably engaged in and guided by said other end of the sheath.

8. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said striker means includes an elongate arm with one end pivotally mounted at a point remote from the receiver and with its other end adjacent a side of the receiver opposite from that side of the receiver adjacent which the printing head occurs, an aperture in the receiver, a striker block carried by the arm and protecting into said aperture, spring means normally supporting said other end of the arm with said block in close proximity with a form in the receiver and with the head and yieldingly resisting pivoting of said other end of the arm away from said receiver, a cam lobe on the arm, a cam follower on said carriage and shiftable into engagement with the cam lobe to pivot the arm away from the receiver and against the resistance of the spring means and to shift out of engagement with the cam lobe to permit the spring means to pivot the arm back toward the receiver and urge the block into striking engagement with the form when the carriage is shifted from its normal to its actuated position.

9. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said striker means includes an elongate arm with one end pivotally mounted at a point remote from the receiver and with its other end adjacent a side of the receiver 1 1 opposite from that side ofthe receiver adjacent which the printing head occurs, an aperture in the receiver, a striker block carried by the arm and projecting into said aperture, spring means normally supporting said other end of the arm with said block in close proximity with a form in the receiver and with the head and yieldingly resisting pivoting of said other end of the arm away from said receiver, a cam lobe on the arm, a carn follower on said carriage and shiftable into engagement with the cam lobe to pivot the arm away from the receiver and against the resistance of the spring means and to shift out of engagement with the cam lobe to permit the spring means to pivot the arm back toward the receiver and urge the block into striking engagement with the form when the carriage is shifted from its normal to its actuated position, said means rotating said cam plate synchronously with said drum including a shaft rotatably carried by the computor and carrying said cam plate, and a gear drive between said shaft and the dr-um, said gear drive including a drive gear on the drum and a driven gear on the shaft.

10. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said striker means includes an elongate arm with one end pivotally mounted at a point remote from the receiver and with its other end adjacent a side of the receiver opposite from that side of the receiver adjacent which the printing head occurs, an aperture in the receiver, a striker block carried by the arm and projecting into said aperture, spring means normally supporting said other end of the arm with said block in close proximity with a form in the receiver and with the head and yieldingly resisting pivoting of said other end of the arm away from said receiver, a cam lobe on the arm, a cam follower on said carriage and shiftable into engagement with the cam lobe to pivot the arm away from the receiver and against the resistance of the spring means and to shift out of engagement with the cam lobe to permit the spring means to pivot the arm back toward the receiver and urge the block into striking engagement with the form when the carriage is shifted from its normal to its actuated position, said tlexible cable being shiftably engaged in a flexible sheath, said sheath having one end secured in fixed position in axial alignment with and spaced from said one end of the rod and its other end secured in fixed position in radial spaced relationship from and opposing the lands of the cam plate.

11. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said striker means includes an elongate arm with one end pivotally mounted at a point remote from the receiver and with its other end adjacent a side of the receiver opposite from that side of the receiver adjacent which the printing head occurs, an aperture in the receiver, a striker block carried by the arm and projecting into said aperture, spring means normally supporting said other end of the arm with said block in close proximity with a form in the receiver and with the head and yieldingly resisting pivoting of said other end of the arm away from said receiver, a cam lobe on the arm, a cam follower on said carriage and shiftable into engagement with the cam lobe to pivot the arm away from the receiver and against the resistance of the spring means and to shift out of engagement with the cam lobe to permit the spring means to pivot the arm back toward the receiver and urge the block into striking engagement with the form when the carriage is shifted from its normal to its actuated position, said means rotating said cam plate synchronously with said drum including a shaft rotatably carried by the computor and carrying said cam plate, and a gear drive between said shaft and the drum, said flexible cable being shiftably engaged in a flexible sheath, said sheath having one end secured in fixed position in radial spaced relationship from and opposing the lands of the cam plate.

12. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said striker means includes an elongate arm with one end pivotally mounted at a point remote from the receiver and with its other end adjacent a side of the receiver opposite from that side of the receiver adjacent which the printing head occurs, an aperture in the receiver, a striker block carried by the arm and projecting into said aperture, spring means normally supporting said other end of the arm with said block in close proximity with a form in the receiver and with the head and yieldingly resisting pivoting of said other end of the arm away from said receiver, a cam lobe on the arm, a cam follower on said carriage and shiftable into engagement with the cam lobe to pivot the arm away from the receiver and against the resistance of the spring means and to shift out of engagement with the cam lobe to permit the spring means to pivot the arrn back toward the receiver and -urge the block into striking engagement with the form when the carriage is shifted from its normal to its actuated position, said means rotating said cam plate synchronously with said drum including a shaft rotatably carried by the computor and carrying said cam plate, and a gear drive between said shaft and the drum, said flexible cable being shiftably engaged in a flexible sheath, said sheath having one end secured in fixed position in radial spaced relationship from and opposing the lands of the cam plate, and an elongate, rigid cam follower between said other end of the cable and the cam plate and slidably engaged in and guided by said other end of the sheath.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS JOSEPH W. HARTARY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 346-43, 98 

